by Olivia Arran
Contents
Title Page
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Cherished
True Mates: Book 5
A Craggstone Paranormal Romance
By
Olivia Arran
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Copyright © 2016 Olivia Arran
All rights reserved worldwide. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the author.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locals or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. Please note that this work is intended only for adults over the age of 18 and all characters represented as 18 or over.
Published by Arran Publishing
Cover Design by Resplendent Media
Editing by Jersey Devil Editing
CHAPTER ONE
Oliver
I slipped through the trees, each step falling silent in the dusk-hued forest. From what I had seen so far, there were no guards on the perimeter, and no one keeping watch.
Idiots.
This was starting to feel a little too easy.
Shrugging off the unease snaking down my spine, I pressed forward. Easy or not, it didn’t matter. I had a mission to complete, and nothing got between me and my mission.
Which was why Gregg had chosen me for the job. For every job. He knew my training, what I was capable of. Though sometimes I bet he wished he didn’t.
A whisper of awareness caressed my senses. Resisting the urge to tense up, I scanned the surrounding trees, my heightened vision spearing into the shadows, seeking my prey.
Nothing.
Taking a deep breath, I filtered the myriad of smells, searching for whatever had alerted me.
Coyotes, wolves, and humans. All at least hours old, nothing new.
Shoving whatever the hell it was to the back of my mind, I pressed forward. The camp was just in front of me, hidden by a wall of trees and bushes.
At least Jacob hadn’t been lying when I’d finally convinced him to spill his secrets—though of course I had checked, carefully and meticulously, until I was sure. I always did.
Parting the leaves, I clocked three structures, all set in a semicircle facing a large yard.
Now, to shift or not to shift? I pondered the question, my eyes scanning the area. Five men stood guard on a long, low building, the windows barred with steel. The men were facing inward, lounging around playing cards. They seemed more concerned with keeping someone inside than someone out.
Idiots, my wolf growled, echoing my earlier assessment. He lay inside me poised for action, for a nod from me that it was his turn to run. His ears twitched as the unease I had felt earlier wrapped around me again.
Something wasn’t quite right. But what?
The middle building wasn’t guarded at all, and was a lot smaller than the other two. More of a shack really, with a sagging roof and bare windows. Not where they’d be keeping the women and children then.
I turned my attention to the third and final building. This was a proper house, with two stories and a small porch. Again, no bars on the windows, but this one had curtains, and—I strained my eyes, trying to pick out the object—was that a vase of flowers in the window?
Blinking in the rapidly dimming light, I gave up. I would soon be peering in that window anyway.
Better to go as a human. Less noise that way.
No fun, my wolf huffed, but I’d called it and he’d follow orders. He could be a noisy son of a bitch when he wanted to be, and he knew it. Snarling and snapping had its place, but this plan required a little more finesse.
Setting off at a controlled lope, I skirted the perimeter, coming up behind the low, heavily guarded building. Careful not to send a stray stone skittering or snap a single twig, I crawled up to the first available window.
What the fuck? Rows of metal beds lined the room, each made up with a single blanket, each with a single lump curled up in the center. No toys, no tables, no rugs—just somewhere to sleep.
A small hand shot out of one of the beds searching the air, little fingers scrabbling against an unknown foe, the blanket-covered lump shaking. A second hand shot out from under the covers in the next bed. A mop of short dark brown hair popped out revealing a boy, maybe five or six. He reached out and grasped the smaller hand, linking fingers, and I could see the boy’s mouth making silent shushing sounds, comforting the younger child until the shaking subsided.
I slumped down from the window, wanting to slide down onto the ground. No...wanting to burst around the corner and beat the living crap out of the men who guarded these children. Held them prisoner. They were being treated like animals, locked up without their mothers, without anyone to care for them or hold them when they had a nightmare.
I locked my legs into place. I had a mission to complete. Then I could bring down a whole fuck-load of retribution on these guys.
I crept back into the bushes, fury churning in my stomach, beating at me relentlessly. Just two more buildings to go, then I could—
I froze as the breeze shifted, carrying my scent with it. Reaching a hand into my pocket, I pulled out my phone, thumb ready to call it in. Then the breeze shifted again, blowing sluggishly back in my favor.
Tucking my phone back into my pocket, I darted back into the forest and circled around to the building that was little more than a shack. One peek and I finally had eyes on Bert. Surrounded by his men, he was lording it up in a poker game, whiskey in one hand, cigar in another. The room was some sort of headquarters, plans of some kind tacked to the walls, shipment cases piled high and set haphazardly around the small room, men using them as seats and tables. A large package sat on one of the tables, the top ripped open, white powder spilling out.
I watched as Bert leaned back, scooped a finger through the powder and held it to his nose, inhaling it with obvious relish.
He was as high as a kite, and so were most of his men probably.
Backing away, I headed for the last building. Looping around, I cursed the high windows. Unless I was willing to climb I had no chance. A man was guarding the front porch, so that was a no-go. I didn’t have the go-ahead to dispose of him—yet.
Pressing my ear against the old wood, I closed my eyes, focusing all of my senses on hearing. Muffled voices filtered through the rough cladding, vibrating through the wall. I counted…four? Maybe five? All women.
I had what I had come for, and it was time to report b
ack.
A door clicked open, soft footfalls on the porch signaling movement.
Flattening myself back against the wall, I sucked in a deep breath, tasting the new arrival.
Human—a woman. At least I didn’t have to worry about being her smelling me. Human noses were at best…inadequate. Inferior.
I took another deep breath, the unease that had been niggling at me thrusting back to the foreground. There was something—
“Go back inside,” a man’s voice barked out, sounding weary and a little distracted to my ears.
“I will, keep your hair on. I just wanted some fresh air. Can I just pop over—”
Her voice was smooth and carefully balanced, but I could hear a hint of pain, a touch of desperation.
“No, Ana. You know the rules. Why do you try this every night?”
“How do you know I try every night?”
“Because everyone reports back to Bert. You know that.” The man sounded bored and a little put out.
Someone wasn’t happy with their position, from the sound of it.
“Yeah, why do you all do that?”
Fuck, she was asking the exact question that had been floating around inside my head.
“Because he’s the Alpha. But why the fuck am I telling you this? Get yourself back inside, isn’t it your night tonight?”
A shaky intake of breath. “No. Not tonight.”
Soft footsteps reached my ears, and the door clicked shut.
What the hell had that been about? And why was my wolf straining at the leash, his claws curled, ready to rip this man to shreds to get to the human woman?
***
Ana
My hands were shaking as the door clicked shut behind me, sealing me back inside the house. Every night I forced myself to go out there. Every night I asked the same question—can I see him? Just for one minute, just to hold him, smooth his hair back from his face, kiss his cheek, and tell him his Mom loves him? That I’m doing this for him. That he has to be strong, that I’ll find a way out of here…someday. That I’ll never give up.
“You went out again?”
I nodded, ignoring the looks of sympathy and pity the other women were shooting my way. They’d stopped asking, that’s if they ever had. Most were cowed by the men. Too scared to approach them, willingly anyway.
There was just me and Gina who had any fight left, and the little we had was slowly being eaten away. I slid into the chair opposite her, taking her hand and squeezing.
It was Gina who had spoken before, her brown eyes full of the same heartache I knew my own held. But hers also held fear, and it was a fear I knew very well. One I shared.
It was her night tonight.
You’d think after all this time we would be used to it, to turn off and disconnect, but I didn’t think I would ever be able to. Maybe because I believed that if I did, then I’d stop fighting. Just give up and accept it.
And I would never accept it.
For some reason, tonight had felt different, like something had changed. Of course, I had been fooling myself. But just for a second I had clung to the hope that feeling had sparked, burning away my fear and disillusionment, and believed.
Idiot.
CHAPTER TWO
Oliver
“What did you find out?”
I wasn’t even back at the rendezvous point when James’ voice reached my ears. Of course he knew I was back—he was the Alpha after all—but it still rankled that he had picked me out so easily.
Getting sloppy, boy, my old instructor’s voice whispered in my mind.
Entering the clearing, I faced the group, their eyes weighing heavily on me. It was always like this, the weight of everyone’s expectations pulling at me. They came to me with their problems and I fixed them. That’s what I did. What I’d always done. It was who I was.
“Three buildings. One heavily guarded—the children’s one. Estimate ten to twelve children inside. Big house holds the women—estimate four or five, one guard. I can verify Bert is in the middle shack, plus four men.”
James narrowed his eyes as I relayed the information, his face taking on a brooding look. Shifting his weight, he reached back and tucked his mate, Kara, under his arm, as though drawing strength from her.
I couldn’t even begin to understand the mating bond, and didn’t know if I really wanted to. All the men here had recently found their mates. Except for Cole, and Gregg—who had lost his mate a long time ago. The ones who had seemed happy. They were definitely acting like smug sons of bitches, strutting around with a definite air of just-been-fucked-and-it’s-better-than-winning-the-lottery attitude. Now, I wouldn’t mind some of that, for sure.
“The drugs?”
“Middle shack.”
“With Bert?” James asked, double-checking.
I nodded. I didn’t waste words and everyone knew that, and were used to me by now. I didn’t see the point; it wasn’t like I had anything interesting to share anyway. At least, nothing that anyone wanted to hear about.
My life dealt in shadows and death. Not what the guys wanted to hear about when they were relaxing, just shooting the shit and stuff.
A low rumble of chatter had started up among the group, the voices rising as everyone tried to decide who was doing what.
I raised an eyebrow at James, waiting. “We need to go soon.” I hesitated, wondering whether to mention what I had just overheard. Was it really relevant to the mission?
“Go on,” Gregg, the wolf Councilmember and Amanda’s dad, prompted, his blue eyes piercing the dim light. It was Gregg who I really worked for. He had recruited me away from the human organization I had grown up with and brought me back to the shifter world. He had recognized the ruthlessness inside of me and had put me to work for the Council, and had found me a place at James’ side, at the Colstone Pack.
“I overheard one of the women. She was talking to the guard and she mentioned something about tonight not being her night.”
“So we can assume that Bert, or one of the other men, might be on the move later? Is that your read?” Gregg asked, sighing heavily when I nodded. “We need to go now, James. While we know their positions.” He pulled a phone out his pocket and flicked it open. “I’ll call the other team, have them standing by at your order.”
James surveyed the group, and I could see his mind working over the problem. Who to send where and how to split the team. I could only hope he gave me a real challenge and gave me a chance at Bert. My fingers itched to take the bastard down.
“Macey, I want you to take Jason and Cole and go get the children. Oliver, you go get the women. Sean, you’ll stay with our mates, and make sure they’re protected at all times. Tarq will run the perimeter, make sure no one sneaks up on us. Gregg and I will go straight for Bert. Understood?” At the last word he drew himself up to his full height, his power licking out over the group, reminding us exactly who the Alpha was.
Nodding, Gregg moved away slightly, calling the second team we had in place ready to take over Sunclaw farther down the mountain.
Sean was shaking his head, a furious look on his face, while his mate, Lisa, scowled at James. “You really think he’s going to stay back here while you go after his dad?” she muttered, her hand stroking Sean’s arm in an attempt to soothe him.
This was a man who had a major problem with his wolf. He’d only just started to accept what he called the beast. I inwardly shook my head. James was playing with fire. If anyone should feel like he had a right to accompany James—it was Sean.
“That’s why I thought it might be best for Sean not to be the one to do this,” James explained, a pained expression on his face as he faced his Beta.
“He’s my dad, therefore my problem,” Sean growled, his eyes flashing liquid gold, his wolf peeking out.
“Back down, Sean. Control him.” James’ voice was low but carried the weight of his power. Then he sighed, the sound of someone feeling the heavy burden of leadership. “If you feel like you can
handle it, then I don’t want to stand in your way. But”—he held out a hand—“we take him alive. He has to stand trial before the Council for his crimes. I want everyone in the shifter world to know what happens to those in charge who break the law. He can’t disappear quietly—his crimes have to be listed and put on trial.”
Sean’s eyes flashed back to brown, his jaw relaxing at James’ words. He slapped his friend and Alpha on the shoulder in acceptance.
Now, this was all great. Brotherly love and all that—but didn’t we have a mission to accomplish? I’d been feeling twitchy ever since I’d turned my back on the camp, and that uneasy feeling was only growing stronger.
“Didn’t think you’d get to party without me, did you?” a voice called out from above, surprising the shit out of me. And nothing surprised me.
“Luis!” Lisa called out, “What are you doing here?”
A lithe-limbed body dropped from the tree, landing on silent feet. Luis—Lisa’s twin brother. Grabbing her in a full body hug, he mock whispered, “I just missed you, sis. You know that!” Letting her go, he surveyed the group, his dark almond-shaped eyes dancing with amusement. Eyes coming back to rest on Sean, he murmured out of the corner of his mouth, “Your mate is looking fine as always, sis.”
Grinning, Sean punched him lightly on the shoulder before pulling him into a back-slapping hug. “Always good to have you here, Luis.”
“Agreed,” James added. “That solves the problem of who is going to look after the women—”
“What am I? Chopped liver?” Amanda piped up, a scowl on her perfect face.
If this mission had been limited to just the Alpha and his lieutenants, we would have been in there already, getting stuff done. But, no. We had to bring everyone along. Something I had protested and then been shut down. I hadn’t the slightest idea why they wouldn’t have been safe back at the packhouse. Seemed to me that the men had been stripped of their ability to say no to their mates, giving in to their every little demand.
I huffed, searching the clear night sky for patience. If it were me, I would have told my mate to stay home. And she would have done it.